


A good girl goes to war

by Sadfangirl



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 03:03:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5989783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadfangirl/pseuds/Sadfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“And we have friends, and we have resources…”</p><p>What if Felicity carried out her threat and brought war to the League to get Oliver back. Her way.</p><p>AU after 3x20.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A good girl goes to war

**Author's Note:**

> I’m ignoring what went on in The Flash at that time so I can use their characters. 
> 
> I don't own Arrow or The Flash - I just borrow their characters for my writing experiments.

 

She had been dreaming again, dreaming of Oliver - he wasn’t in Nanda Parbat, he was home with her. But they came for him, the Assassins, and dragged him away. He kept calling to her, telling her to be happy and that he loved her. And then she saw Ra’s Al Guild’s face, taunting her, telling her she’d never get Oliver back and that she was a stupid little girl for even hoping. 

Felicity woke with a start.

She took a breath, sighed and got out of bed. She’d been back for 4 days and she’d had the same nightmare every night. But she was not going to let Ra’s win. She’s promised him a reckoning and that’s just what she was going to give him.

 

_“We will go to war to get Oliver back”_

 

Felicity took her time in the shower. The only way she was going to get through her pain was to work towards getting Oliver back and to do that she needed a plan. But how does an IT expert fight a group of warrior assassins. Her arsenal was technology but the League had no use for that. She’d have to find another way.

She got dressed and decided to head out for some coffee. It was still early, but getting light. As she walked she saw the flowers blooming in the gardens she passed. As she walked an idea started to form in her head. “That’s it” she whispered.

She took her phone from her pocket and sent out a group text ‘Heading to Star Labs for a few days - have an idea”. She didn’t want to tell anyone about her plan, just yet. She had to find out if it would actually work.

Next she sent a message to Star Labs ‘On my way to CC - I need your help’.

She rushed back to her apartment, quickly packing a bag. She could get coffee on the train. 

She started some searches going, it was time to dig up everything online about the League.

Then, checking, she saw a train was leaving within the hour. Grabbing her keys she got into her car and drove to the station.

It was time to fight back. 

 

In the hours it took to get to Central City by train Felicity studied. Her genius meant she could absorb vast amounts of information very quickly. She read “The Art of War”, “The 33 Strategies of War” and “Manual of the Warrior of Light”. If she was to fight a war against an opponent with battle skills it was time to understand them.

She was surprised when she arrived at Central City to see Barry waiting for her. He opened his arms and Felicity walked straight into them. She took comfort for a moment, then broke away from the hug.

“Who called you?” She asked.

“Diggle” he replied. “How are you?”

“Sad, angry, determined, you know.” Felicity shrugged.

“I take it this isn’t a social call” Barry stated.

“Nope, I need your help. In fact I need everyone’s help. We’re going to get Oliver back.”

“Felicity, Diggle told me where he is and what happened…”

“Not a word Barry Allen. This is Oliver, who’s risked everything for all of us, including you. It’s time we paid that debt back.” She was hitting his chest as she said this.

“OK, OK. Stop hitting me, I’ll help” Barry said shooing her away. “Because you’ll hurt me more if I don’t”.

Felicity nodded, a sad smile forming on her face. 

“I take it you have a plan” Barry continued.

“You bet I do” Felicity replied. “And Cisco will freak when he hears it.”

“Oh shit” Barry murmured. 

 

**A week later**

Ray had sent his jet to Central City to pick up Barry, Cisco, Catlin, Felicity and a massive amount of cargo. Ronnie had stayed behind with Martin to keep the city safe as Firestorm. They knew they’d be gone a while and didn’t want the city unprotected. 

Felicity had also given thought to how to keep Startling City safe as well. She needed Ray and Diggle for the rescue, and unfortunately Malcolm as well. And she knew there was no way that Thea would sit this one out. She hoped Laurel would understand that keeping the city safe would be Oliver’s primary concern. So she’d also put in a call to Roy who was on his way back to Starling to back up the Black Canary.  

They went straight to Palmer Tech, leaving most of the cargo in the plane. Ray had set up a conference room like she’d asked and everyone was there. Well, except Malcolm, he would be brought in later and there was no way he was getting to hear the entire plan.

Diggle hugged Felicity briefly, silently checking her, making sure she was OK. She gestured for everyone to take a seat, it was time to fill everyone in.

 

_“And we have friends, and we have resources…”_

 

“I’m glad you’re all here. You all know why I called you here. It’s time to get Oliver back. I promised Ra’s that we’d go to war to get him back, and it’s past time that that war began.” Felicity told her friends.

Everyone was silently gaping at Felicity. This would be the first time that anyone would know her entire plan. Even the Star Labs crew didn’t know exactly what she was planning, but she figured that Cisco had a good idea.

“We can’t fight them” Diggle stated, breaking the silence. “They’re trained warriors, the best ever. They would cut us down so fast. I know this because I went up against them recently with Oliver, and we didn’t do that well.”

“I know” Felicity replied. “We can’t fight them their way. No-one can fight the League on their battlefield, so I’ve decided to make them fight us on ours.”

“I don’t understand” Thea interjected. 

It was time for Felicity to make her pitch. She needed everyone round the table to do their part and she knew they had to be confident in her plan. 

“The League of Assassins are the most formidable warriors on earth. It’s well documented. In a fair fight, they always win. So what I propose is not making it a fair fight. Their tactics haven’t changed for hundreds of years and because it’s always worked for them, they’ve never had to change. But I’m a 21st century woman, and I’ve decided it’s time to deploy the tools and tactics that I’m familiar with. I’m hoping that they won’t have any idea what to do to counteract that type of attack.”

“What’s your play?” Diggle asked, intrigued.

 

She told them.

 

Diggle was smiling. He could begin to see what Felicity was planning. And it was genius. Not only was she giving them a way to fight Ra’s and the League, she was also putting things in place so the League would be reluctant to retaliate. Diggle was so proud of her and he knew Oliver would be too. The little nervous IT girl he’d met three years ago had come a very long way.

Thea smiled too, if this was the woman her brother was in love with, he chose well. “So what do you want us to do?”

“I’ve secured us a place we can use as a staging area about 50 miles from Nanda Parbat. Tomorrow some of us will leave for there, using Ray’s jet.”

“Not all of us?” Laurel asked.

“No, Laurel, not all of us. I’m going to ask you to stay behind…” Felicity answered.

“But I should be there, I want to help’ Laurel interrupted.

“Please, Laurel, it’s important for a number of reasons that you stay.”

“I don’t understand” Laurel countered.

“We need someone to stay here and protect the city.” Felicity told her “And that responsibility falls to you. I need John because he’s been to the fortress and is a good guide. I need Thea because she can get Malcolm to help us and we need him to get us past the guards and into see Ra’s. I need to work the tec with Cisco, Ray and Barry need to be on the perimeter putting everything in place without being caught and Catlin needs to manage the medical cargo and get it ready for use.

“Plus, I know you’re friends with Nissa. If you go against her father and the League you may loose that friendship and I don’t want to put you in that position. You won’t be alone, Roy is coming back to help. Also, if we fail, I’m confident that Starling will still be protected. Oliver would never forgive any of us if the city was harmed.”

Laurel nodded slowly. Felicity was right. This would not be won by fighting. Finesse versus force. Brawn versus brain. She wasn’t going to be betting against Felicity on this one. 

Felicity starting filling them in on what they needed to do - the plan was complex and very detailed. They were leaving the city in 18 hours and there was lots to be done.

 

Thea found Felicity a few hours later in their command centre. Felicity was staring at a monitor, her brain processing every possible scenario and working out how to deal with it if the need arose.

“Sorry to interrupt your staring” Thea said.

“Oh” Felicity replied. “Sorry, I was just…” she stopped.

“Is that Nanda Parbat?” Thea asked.

“Yes” Felicity replied. “I’ve been keeping an eye on the place, to get an idea what’s happening.”

“And looking for Ollie” Thea stated.

“They’re torturing him” Felicity said sadly “He’s holding on. But it’s relentless. Ra’s wants to break him then rebuild him.”

“Then we have to stop this” Thea said, and Felicity was struck at how determined the young woman was. She was just like her brother.

“We will, we’ll bring him home.” Felicity said quietly.

“Thank you for letting me come with you, Why did you do that? Getting Malcolm to help would have been easy for any of you.” Thea mused.

“Because I knew that if I didn’t, you’d come anyway.” Felicity responded.

“He’s lucky to have you” Thea assured Felicity “Not many people would go to this much effort to rescue someone.”

“He’s worth it” Felicity nodded. “But for now, we both have work to do”.

 

They sent Malcolm to do some recon as they finalised the plan. No-one trusted him so they didn’t want him going behind their back. All he knew was that they wanted a meeting with Ra’s to discuss getting Oliver back. Malcolm thought they were insane, but wanted to do as Thea asked so he’d agreed.

As soon as it was dark Felicity sent Ray and Barry on their final pass on the fortress. They had already positioned a number of transmitters and routers but there was still a few gaps in coverage. Nanda Parbat did not have wi-fi and Felicity needed it for her plan to work. Diggle had suggested that Felicity get a few hours sleep, as they planned to head out at dawn, but how could she. Oliver had sent her away with instructions to get on with her life. But he was her life, had he forgotten already, that he was her happiness. This was way worse than the Roy deception. But she didn’t care if he never forgave her. As long as he was safe and free, that was all that mattered.

As dawn broke Malcolm returned. Ray and Barry had returned a few minutes earlier. They would be staying behind at the staging area, only to be called upon if things went very wrong. 

Cisco was testing the control tech, which they’d hidden in Felicity’s glasses. He and Catlin were also checking the feed from the stuff that they’d deployed last night. They could keep eyes on everything. 

“It’s time” Diggle said. He led the small team out to the all purpose jeep they’d brought with them. It was big enough for all four of them to fit comfortably, with room for Oliver, if, no when, they got him back.

The group were silent, everyone lost in their own thoughts. The plan was to drive right up to the front door and knock, demanding to see the Assassin leader. When the fortress came into sight Felicity did a final signal check. Malcolm looked at her, he didn’t even know they were all connected up. He began to get a little bit worried. What were they up to?

Felicity closed her eyes and took a breath. She was scared, but she’d work through it. The Demond’s Head had dismissed her as a lovestruck little girl of no consequence. Like so many others, they just saw her as little and blonde and weak. They only valued physical strength. Not this time, they were wrong to discount her and she was here to teach them all a lesson.

Thea looked pale. She didn’t remember much about her last visit. She trusted Felicity and thought the plan was amazing, but she was scared, the last time she’d faced Ra’s Al Guld she’d almost died with a sword in her chest. 

Diggle was in protective mode. He was here to protect Oliver’s girls. He was right back in bodyguard mode and would give his all to ensure they were safe. Lyla had understood, knew that this was the man she married, who would go to any lengths to protect those he loved. A soldier until the end.

They all got out of their jeep and were instantly surrounded. This was Malcolm’s job, get them inside. If he failed she had it covered, but she didn’t want to show her hand just yet.

Malcolm was talking quickly in arabic. None of them had any idea what he was saying, Felicity just hoped he wasn’t selling them out. She’d told him earlier to tell the guards that they were unarmed and had a proposition for Ra’s. She wanted them to think the team was weak until it was time.

The guards laughed, thinking that allowing them in would amuse their leader. During Felicity’s studies she’d found the inspiration to appear weak to her opponents. Let them believe they held all the cards, so they didn’t realise until it was too late that wasn’t the game anymore.

One of the guards went ahead to check to make sure it was acceptable to bring them into the throne room. He quickly returned and escorted them on.

Malcolm quickly translated “Ra’s will see us. He thinks it will be an amusing distraction to start his day. I hope you know what you’re doing”.

Right into the heart of things, just as Felicity hoped. During her research she had identified what type of leader Ra’s was and she knew how to exploit his weakness. He had grown sloppy with age, never defeated, never really challenged. So he’d never changed, never looked at other ways. That is what had fascinated him about Oliver, someone almost strong enough to defeat him. 

They entered the room. Ra’s stood in front of them. Oliver at his side, but looking broken and lost. Then he looked up and met Felicity’s eyes, and she saw hope, and love and shock that they were here. They hadn’t broken him. Her Oliver was still there.

“What do you want child?” Ra’s asked, directing his question to Felicity.

“I’ve come for Oliver” Felicity replied. In her ear she heard Cisco saying “Deployment one, successful, you now have full control.” 

Ra’s laughed. “Is this the war you promised me little girl. Three of you and Al Sa-Her. This I want to see.”

“OK” said Felicity, then she unleashed the bees.

All throughout the fortress the bees attacked. Thousands of them. At first all they could hear was screams as Assassins could find no way to counter the attack. They were trained against men, against warriors, not against attack bees. So they fell, the tranquillisers that Catlin had worked out knocking them out instantaneously. 

Thea laughed at the sound of screams, and at the look of sheer shock on the man’s face. Felicity was concentrating hard, listening to Cisco giving her a commentary. They had already put over a hundred Assassins down and had many more hiding. 

It was time to show Ra’s what she meant by war. A large swarm of bees entered the room. Quickly they put every guard down and then returned to the swarm. Only Ra’s and Oliver were left standing. 

“How was that?” Felicity asked Ra’s, as he surveyed the surroundings in shock. The attack had taken less than a minute.

Ra’s was speechless, Oliver was grinning. 

“You see a few months ago, I was in Central City, we went up against a woman called the Bug Eye Bandit. She created an army of mechanical bees she could control. After we took her down my friends took custody of those bees and I’ve now modified them. At least they don’t kill anymore. I can now control those bees using the mind control technology another friend developed. I can instruct them to sting anyone I want. Whenever and wherever I want. I just have to think it.”

Felicity continued “Oh, they’re not dead. But they won’t wake up until I say so. So, can I have Oliver back now please?”

Ra’s quickly regained his composure. “You think you’ve won little girl. You haven’t. This doesn’t end when you leave, we will….”

“Oh shut up” Felicity interrupted. “You think I haven’t thought of that. But I tell you now that you won’t come after me. You won’t come after any of us.”

“And why would I do that?” Ra’s asked, almost spitting in anger.

“Because I’ll destroy you and all you hold dear. I’ve done some digging you see. I now have access to all of your bank accounts. You might live in the stone age, but your money doesn’t. It lives in my world. And it tells a very interesting story. Of people willing to pay a lot of money to you to make problems go away. I’m sure the world would love to have that information. With the touch of a button I can take all of your money and then release all the information I have about you lot to the world.”

“You wouldn’t dare” snapped Ra’s.

“I’m not finished.” Felicity snapped back “I’d tell the world about your precious Lazarus pit. A magical cure for everything, countries have gone to war for less. You guys wouldn’t last five minutes against armies with tanks and bombs and machine guns. And don’t think by killing us the threat goes away. If anything happens to me, or anyone else here, well, except Merlyn, you guys are toast. I’ve put multiple contingencies in place. And I will release footage of this as well, showing the world, including your enemies, how you were defeated by a little girl.”

Diggle, Thea and Oliver looked at Felicity with awe. Cisco was cheering in her ear and she heard Catlin in the background saying “remind me to never piss her off”.

Ra’s could see that he was beaten. He had no idea how to win this fight. His final move was to hope that the brainwashing had taken and that Al-Sah-him belonged to him now.

He turned to Oliver, saying his name but before anyone could speak Felicity took control saying “His name is Oliver Queen, and I’ll thank you not to address him or me again.”

Oliver beamed. He’d thought it would take him years to bring the League down. His love had done it in a few weeks. He wanted to run and hug her but she shook her head, reunions would come later, when they were alone.

“Oh and one more thing.” Felicity said as a lone bee quickly moved to sting Ra’s in the neck. “I don’t want him awake while we leave.”

Ra’s fell to the floor, out cold like all of his men.

 

The walked through the fortress in silence. Felicity was shaking slightly with adrenalin and still a bit too shocked to speak. She asked her companions “How did I do?”

Oliver smiled, John just nodded. Thea beamed. 

Malcolm however looked disgruntled. “Ra’s will be after me because of you all” he hissed.

“Good” snapped Diggle “You deserve nothing less.”

“But I helped” he said.

“Yes, this time, but you’re still a murdering bastard so be grateful I don’t turn you in” Felicity countered.

He shut up after that. 

They made their way back to the staging area, and found that Barry and the others were already packed up and ready to leave. Barry had packed up “Flash style” and it had taken minutes.

There were hugs and greetings and lots of enthusiastic shouting and patting each other on backs. But Felicity stayed back, just enjoying and observing. After the last few weeks she suddenly felt very tired. 

Oliver broke away from the group and came over to stand next to her.

“Thank you” he said quietly.

“Your welcome” she replied.

“I did have a plan you know” Oliver asserted.

“Well, how was I suppose to know that.” Felicity countered.

“Your plan was better. Mine would have taken years.” Oliver disclosed.

“I couldn’t wait that long” Felicity insisted.

“That’s why you’ve always been the brains of this operation” Oliver jested.

“Don’t forget that in future.” Felicity laughed. Getting serious she asked “What now?”

“I need time. Time to process everything. I think I need to get away for a while, if you’ll come with me?” Oliver told Felicity.

“I’d go anywhere with you” she smiled at him.

To the others it just looked like they were just talking quietly, only arms touching, side by side. 

“I love you” 

“I love you too”.

Today was celebrating, tomorrow would be theirs. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos fees my muse.


End file.
